A steam humidifier is an important electrical device that has a beneficial effect on people's health. About how to choose this unit, what are the advantages and disadvantages, as well as reviews about it, read below.
What is it needed for?
Parents must purchase a steam humidifier if:
- The child does not sleep well.
- The skin of the baby dries and peels.
- The child is often ill for a long time.
- The kid quickly gets tired at home.
If any of these points occurs, then your baby needs this device, because the cause of the above conditions may be dry air. The fact is that if the child is constantly in a dry environment, the surrounding gas mixture (nitrogen and oxygen predominate) absorbs moisture from the child’s body: from the skin, hair, respiratory tract, and hence the drying out of the mucous membranes. And as a result - shortness of breath, the formation of crusts in the nose, poor protection against viruses, decreased immunity, etc. Therefore, dry air is a real disaster that must be dealt with. And the most effective way to deal with it is to buy a device such as a steam humidifier.
What humidity should be indoors?
For a person, the moisture content in the room should be in the range of 50–70%. For plants, so that they grow well and do not fade, - 55–75%. For furniture, parquet and possible musical instruments - 40-60%.
For comparison: in the winter, when the heating is turned on, the humidity level in the house does not exceed 20%, and should be 2, or even 3 times more. Therefore, do not delay the purchase of such a necessary device as a steam humidifier. And how to choose the right one from a large number of devices will be discussed further.
Types of steam humidifiers
- The device for air with cold steam. It works like this: a special fan, which is located inside the unit, pumps water through a grid on which dust and all kinds of bacteria remain, and purified humidified air enters the room.
- Hot steam appliance. It functions on the same principle as a cold humidifier, but there is an additional heating element. And in the end, the air in the room will be not only clean, but also warm.
Pros and Cons of a Cold Steam Humidifier
The advantages of such a device are as follows:
- low price;
- consumes little electricity;
- there is an adjustment of the desired percentage of moisture, as well as noise level;
- can be placed in any nursery regardless of the age of the child.
Disadvantages:
- decrease in air temperature (albeit insignificant, but it is) due to the released cold steam;
- such a device perfectly moisturizes the room, but poorly cleans it of germs.
Pros and cons of a steam humidifier
Advantages:
- low price in comparison with an ultrasonic or ionizing device;
- with it, you can save due to the fact that you do not need to buy additional filters;
- quickly humidifies the air in the room;
- Steam perfectly eliminates germs.
The disadvantages of such a device:
- there is a possibility of burning with hot steam, so you need to put it away from children;
- there is no function of adjusting the set percentage of humidity, therefore there is the possibility of over-moistening the room - in this case, it is necessary to monitor the operation of the device;
- due to the fact that hot steam enters the room, the air temperature rises, this is especially bad in the summer, when it is already so hot.
Which one to choose: ultrasonic or steam?
To date, the choice of moisturizing devices is huge, for every taste and budget. But the most popular are two types: steam and ultrasonic humidifiers. Often people do not know which one is better to buy, and in order to dispel all suspicions, we describe the advantages and disadvantages of the second option (we already spoke about the first).
Pluses of an ultrasonic humidifier :
- It works very quietly, almost inaudibly.
- Significantly faster results than a steam humidifier.
- It has additional functions, such as automatic shutdown, evaporation rate controller, filter change sensor.
Cons of the ultrasound device:
- High price.
- It can not be used in a children's room where a child is younger than 4 years old (due to the structural features of light crumbs).
- It is necessary to change filters, which are not cheap.
- Settling of white plaque on objects, things in case ordinary water from the tap is used. Therefore, in this case, it is necessary to specially buy purified liquid.
Now that you know all the advantages and disadvantages of both devices, there will be no question of which air humidifier, ultrasonic or steam, to choose. It is necessary to proceed from the financial capabilities of the family, as well as individual preferences.
Opinions of people
A device such as a steam humidifier, reviews are very controversial. Supporters of the unit note its effectiveness: the air quickly becomes moist, the well-being of children and adults improves markedly. An important criterion that people pay attention to when choosing this device is its design. There is a wide variety of steam humidifiers, especially for children: in the form of a ladybug, a dog, a mushroom, etc.
Negative reviews also exist, and, unfortunately, there are many of them. People are unhappy that:
- from evaporation on the furniture often remains a white coating;
- uncomfortable pouring water into the tank;
- the device is noisy;
- when the unit is operating at full power, condensation forms that occurs under the lid, and as a result, a puddle under the humidifier;
- the attachment of the handle to the body is unreliable.
But no matter how many minuses people list, the positive effect of using this electric device is visible to everyone.
Recommendations
When choosing a humidifier, pay attention to the following conditions:
- The size of the room in which the device will operate.
- Fixture Parameters. The smaller the room, the more compact the device should be.
- Noise level. It should be no higher than 30 decibels.
- Water quality. It is recommended to buy purified water so that later there are no questions about the presence of a white coating on furniture.
- Power consumption. Such devices consume a lot of light, so it is recommended to choose a device with the lowest degree of consumption.
You can choose the right steam humidifier for children if you adhere to the above recommendations.
Finally
Now you know what an air humidifier is for and how it affects the human body, in particular, the child. We also talked about which device (ultrasonic or steam) to choose for yourself, based on financial capabilities and individual preferences.